Official figures show that a measure of employment in the construction sector fell in May for the second month in a row.
The index of employment in construction dropped by 0.2% compared with the same month last year. April's fall was the first since January 2003.
The index measures job numbers in private construction companies with five or more people.
The figure follows a sharp rise in the most recent Live Register figure, which was seen as an indication that a slowdown in the building sector was starting to feed into the labour market.
